Female connector



Nov. 26,; 1957 w. P. HERMAN ET AL FEMALE CONNECTOR Filed Oct. 4, 1955 v INVENTORS WILLIAM I? HERMAN TugyAs KENNETH HOBSON Unitcd States Patent FEMALE CONNECTOR William P. Herman, Providence, and Thomas Kenneth Hobson, Central Falls, R. I.

Application October 4, 1955, Serial No. 538,327

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-191) Our present invention relates to the electrical plug art and more particularly to a novel construction of a female connector.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel female connector having a novel crimped on contact blade.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a female connector having a positive anchoring means in the plug husk for the contact blades.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a female connector in which the contact blades are held in parallel alignment.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a female connector which is simple in construction and easy and economical to manufacture and assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, our invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a female connector embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 on Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44 on Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the crimped on contact blade.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another form of crimped on contact blade.

In the manufacture of female connectors many problems arise due to the differences in construction between the male and female connectors. In the female connector the blade is anchored completely within the husk but room must be left in the slot for inserting the male contact blade. One of the problems is the movement of the female contact blade within the slot preventing the proper insertion of the male contact blade. Furthermore, the female contact blade is short and heretofore the electrical cord connections have been soldered thereto to leave room for anchoring devices. The present invention is designed to overcome these defects by providing a husk construction which permits the use of a novel crimped on blade. Soldering is eliminated and a positive anchoring means provided which prevents movement of the contact blade and ensures a good electrical contact.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the plug husk 10 is provided with a pair of spaced parallel slots 11 in which the blades 12 are positioned. The electrical cord connection 13 is attached to the blades 12 at their upper ends. The plug husk 10 is generally elliptical in cross section and the spaced parallel slots 11 terminate in an upper chamber 14 having a single cord receiving passageway 15. Each slot 11 is provided with a restricted slot opening 16 through which the male contact blade is inserted. The main portion of the slot is sufficiently wide to hold the male and female contact blades in tight electrical 2,814,789 Patented Nov. 26, 1957 ice contact. Adjacent the lower end of each slot is a three sided portion. 17 having an upper undercut portion 18, the lowerportion-19 being slightly spaced from the bottom portionof the slot. Adjacent the upper end of each slot the outer wall portion. is provided with a rounded node 20 extending into the, slot to form a restricted slot portion. The chamber 14 is provided with a central upwardly extending portion 21 which acts as a separator between the upper ends of both slots.

Now referring to Figs. 2 and 5, each blade 12 comprises an elongated rectangular body portion 22 having its forward end folded over upon itself as at 23 to form a double thickness. The two thicknesses are bent at an angle at 24 and then the free end of the folded portion is bent away from the body portion as at 25. The rear portion of the blade is provided with a narrow cut out section 26 having integral lugs or tangs 27 extending from each side edge. The rear of the blade is bent at right angles to the body portion 22 to form a pair of spaced cars 28 having a rounded out out 29 therebetween. The blade is also provided with an assembly opening 30 adjacent its forward end.

In assembly, the bared ends of the electrical cord connection 13 are placed at the upper end of the blade so that they pass between the cars 28 through the cutout portion 29 and lie along the blade between the lugs 27. A crimping machine is used to flatten the lugs to lock the wire to the blade and to upset the ears and bend them forwardly to lock the wire and the insulation in a strain relief connection. In the assembly machine the cord opening 15 is spread and the pair of blades 12 are pulled into the slots 11 into the position shown in Fig. 2. In this position the nodes 20 push the blades and hold them against inside edges of the slots and the bent end fits over the portions 17 so that the bent portion 25 extends into and under the undercut portion 18 and the bent portion 23 fits into the portion 19. The blade is thus held in vertical position and its vertical movement is restricted by the bent portions. It will be noted that the resilient body of the plug acts as a spring when the male blade is inserted and presses against the female blade.

In the form shown in Fig.6 the blade is made without a fold and it is customary to use a thicker metal. In this form the rear end of the blade is provided with lugs 31 and cars 32 identical with the blade shown in Fig. 5. The front end of the blade is bent to form the portion 33 having the assembly opening 34. The intermediate portion of the blade is provided with a pair of struck up lugs 35, struck one from each side of the blade in parallel relation to form the upper fold portion fitting into the undercut 18. This replaces the bent portion 25 in the form shown in Fig. 5.

The plug of the present invention is therefore simple in construction and easy to manufacture and assemble. The blades are crimped to the electrical cord connection and the plug husk and blades are so formed as to firmly anchor the blades in proper position. Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

We claim:

A female connector comprising a one-piece husk of resilient material having an upper cord chamber and a central cord opening communicating with said chamber, said husk having a pair of spaced parallel flat slots extending downwardly there-through from said cord chamber, said slots having restricted slot openings at their lower ends, integral portions extending from the body of said husk into the upper end of each slot to form a restricted slot portion, each slot having spaced undercut portions in one wall thereof, a female blade anchored in each slot, and an electrical cord in said chamber having a crimped connection to the upper end of each blade,

each of said female blades comprising a generally rectangular flat metal strip having a main body portion folded upon itself to form a double thickness and a cord connecting portion, the folded end of said body portion being bent at an angle and the free end of said folded portion being bent at an opposite angle, said bent portions extending into said undercut portions, said cord connecting portion having integral lugs for engaging the bare conductor and integral ears for engaging the insulation to form a strain relief connection.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Brownstein Aug. 15, 1939 Judisch et al Oct. 28, 1941 Herman May 19, 1942 Herman May 4, 1943 Klurnp July 19,1949 

